God in the Machine
by Laputian-Blackwriter
Summary: Shinji is the son of not one but two brilliant scientists. It was only natural that he was a prodigy unlike any other, a dreamer of a world where technology breaks the gap between the social classes. But will this transhuman dream last in the trials ahead? Will Shinji pave the road not to a new renaissance, but dystopia?


-E-

* * *

Golden rays of warm, afternoon light filtered through the dank window, dimly illuminating the flecks of dust in the air as Professor Ikanawa yawned and opened his eyes. _Oh? I must have dozed off..._

The middle-aged teacher looked down at the stack of reports on his desk, sighing when he realised he had gotten through barely half of them.

Though the students were now on their quarterly break, the man liked to make a habit of marking the assignments early, both to make sure he made no mistakes and to send them back to the college early. The secretary seemed to have a habit of 'misplacing' the marked reports, after all, and the professor wasn't sure whether it was because she was absent-minded or it was a deliberate insult to his fields of study.

Political science and philosophy were not popular in the post-Impact world, now often derided in comparison to 'real' fields of study, like biology or engineering. Though the reason appeared to be a severe shortage of manpower, Professor Ikanawa was no fool. He was not ignorant to the strange, erratic behaviour of the United Nations, nor to the undercurrents brewing beneath the surface of the simpering political parties, seemingly united under one banner. This shrewdness extended to his well-being – he was also not foolhardy enough to speak out about it.

Perhaps this was the reason Gendo Ikari had asked him to take care of his son, the professor mused as he put away the reports and left his study, even though he knew this line of thinking was only a vain attempt at soothing his pride – more likely he had been randomly chosen out of a large group of people who had the capacity to care for a ward. The man had unceremoniously abandoned his child and left him to be picked up – the professor did not know what he looked like or what position he held in the government, though it must have been one of some importance.

Flicking on the light in the kitchen, the Professor poked his head into the living room. "Shinji, are you here?"

Sitting in front of the television, the boy blinked, looking up. "Y-Yes, sensei."

"Is there anything you would like for dinner?"

"Anything is fine, sensei." The child said softly, bowing his head slightly.

"Very well," the Professor said as he opened the fridge, taking out the things he would need for a meal for two, glancing again at the boy who was now watching TV with a distant gaze.

It wasn't like he hadn't tried. But he was always busy with work, and even on breaks there was very little he could do for the child. He was contemplating encouraging the boy to learn an instrument as a means of breaking him out of his shell, but he was a Professor of Arts – certainly not a caregiver, having never been married. How exactly was he to raise a _broken child_, of all things?

The shrill ringing of his cellphone broke him out of his thoughts as he picked it up, frowning when he didn't recognise the number before hitting 'receive' and putting it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"_Hey. It's been a while." _A smooth baritone responded.

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

"_I'm wounded you don't remember me, Daisuke."_

The Professor's eyes widened. "H-Hayato?! Is that you?"

"_The one and only. Been a while, hasn't it?"_

"A 'while'? It's been ten years! I didn't even recognise your voice at first!" The Professor couldn't help but reflexively glance at a framed picture on the wall of several youths carrying hunting rifles. "Why are you calling me now?"

"_Now that one really struck me in the heart! Bad enough you didn't recognise me at first, but now you have to ask why I'm calling? What, I can't see how an old friend is doing?" _

"Considering the last time you called you asked me for a loan and never repaid it, I think I have a right to ask." Ikanawa stated wryly, grinning in spite of himself.

"_Straight to the point as always. You were the least polite of all of us – but some might also argue, the least superficial. Either way, I'm actually here about that loan. I think it's about time I paid it back, with a little interest." _

"Really? You, pay back your debts?"

"_I'm a different man now, Daisuke. I could give you back your money, but I think I'll go a little further than that. I'm sending you tickets for a flight to Europe next month." _

"Next month? I haven't changed my job, Hayato, I'm still a professor – I can't exactly get leave whenever I want."

The man snorted. _"Knowing you, I bet you haven't requested leave at all since you joined that college. God knows you didn't when we were still in contact."_

"But still, Daisuke... this is my career!"

"_Your career can wait. I want to show you something – there are extra tickets so bring some friends if you want. But I promise you, it'll be worth the trip." _With a click, his old friend hung up.

The professor lowered his cellphone, all thoughts of dinner forgotten as he walked upstairs to the study, plopping himself in his chair as he revisited the conversation in his mind. _Hayato... God, it seems like a lifetime. _

But then again, everything before Second Impact had seemed like a dream. He could remember their faces, recite their names – his old friends and family, taken cruelly away from him, but they were fuzzy, and he remembered them less and less as time went on. The professor was the only one of them left... aside from Hayato, who had gradually drifted his own way. And now that he thought about it, perhaps that was the best. The man was always the most optimistic of all of them, even despite the circumstance.

Did he want to do it? Fly overseas for the first time since Second Impact, to see one of the last of his old friends still alive? Part of him, a remnant from a long-lost youth, yearned to travel again – yet he was no longer young, that boy had gone, and in his place was a cynical and bitter, aging man. And would he even want to go overseas with Shinji, considering he had no one to leave him with?

The professor rolled his eyes. Who was he kidding? This was probably the last time he would ever make such a trip. He was sick of being uncertain, and the voice of his old friend had stirred long-buried memories, of a simpler, more optimistic era. And maybe the trip would be therapeutic for Shinji, too.

* * *

-E-

* * *

"Sensei! I can see the city!" Shinji exclaimed in excitement as the plane dipped its wing in a turn, piercing the thick, grey fog and revealing the rapidly approaching skyline of London.

Ikanawa smiled at his ward's excitement – this was the first time since his father left him that Shinji had shown the bubbling energy of a normal child. _This is a good sign,_ he mused thoughtfully as he leaned back in his chair, sipping his morning cup of coffee.

As the plane descended across the city into Heathrow, the professor marvelled at how much London had changed. No longer did the River Thames run through London, having long been blocked off in an expensive project to ward off expansive flooding. The eclectic architecture of multiple eras had mostly been demolished, replaced with new, sleek metallic buildings though many of the cultural heritage sites, those undamaged by the earthquakes following Second Impact, still remained.

But most importantly, the odd atmosphere, that strange metropolitan vibrancy, remained, signifying that London had indeed survived Second Impact and had healed from its scars. Not a surprise, considering the position the UK held in the United Nations.

"Welcome to London, Shinji."

"I-It's so big!" Shinji gasped. "There are so many cars and so many people!"

"Yes. London was one of the cities first repaired – as a result, it's nearly like it was before Second Impact," the Professor explained patiently. "This is a city of great heritage, Shinji. A lot of things have happened here in history."

The flight attendant stopped by their seats with a trolley of bottles. _"Does your ward want something to drink?" _She asked politely in English.

"Shinji, are you thirsty?" the Professor relayed to the boy.

"I am a little thirsty, sensei," the boy confessed.

"_A glass of orange juice would be fine, thank you," _Ikanawa directed to the lady in fluent English as she poured him a cup, which he handed to the boy.

"Thank you, sensei!" Shinji said as he took the drink and began sipping it, intently watching the window and taking in the new city.

An hour later, after an exhaustive trip through customs, the two found themselves outside the airport with their respective luggage before a man in a suit approached them. "Professor Ikanawa?" he asked in Japanese with a slight accent.

"Yes," the teacher affirmed.

"My name is Curt Roscoll. I'm instructed to drive you directly to the IRS Bureau's main corporate tower. Your luggage will be taken and placed in your hotel room," he explained.

The Professor glanced down at his ward, who still couldn't contain his astonishment at being in a new place – he was looking everywhere, his eyes wide open as he took in the culture of a completely different country, and didn't look tired or jetlagged at all. "Very well then. Lead the way," he answered, letting the driver take their luggage and put it in the trunk as they stepped into the car. _Huh. Fresh leather._ He noted as their escort started up the vehicle, before turning around and heading out of the airport, driving onto the long highways of London.

"Your Japanese is very good," Ikanawa commented as he watch the city fly by.

"Thank you," the driver answered politely. "I did a course in Oriental languages at university – it was one of the reasons I was chosen. Has London changed much since you've been here?"

"It has," the teacher confessed as he admired the sleek architecture. "It has, a lot."

"Of course. After all, everything flows, and nothing stands still. Nothing endures but change."

Ikanawa smiled appreciatively. "Heraclitus. His ideas are appropriate for this new age London."

"Mr Suzuki said you were a Professor of Philosophy, and I see that he was correct. It'll be nice to discuss things with another cultural major," Curt said, pleased.

"I'm guessing there's nobody where you work to discuss things like this?" the teacher asked, knowing that his friend was a researcher and engineer.

"Oh, I think you'll be surprised at how many there are. It's one of the reasons we stand out in today's economy. Few have the idealism required for this kind of work, and even fewer realise the relation between art and science." Curt noted as he turned a corner, leading them deeper into the heart of metropolitan

London.

* * *

-E-

* * *

"Well... this is a lot bigger than I expected." Ikanawa craned his neck, looking up at the massive tower with 'IRS Bureau' emblazoned towards the top in steely gold letters. _But then again, Hayato, you were always the biggest thinker of all of us. _

He felt giddy with excitement, something that never happened in his repetitive routine, filled with the predictability of research reports, lectures and discussions, both from seeing Hayato again, but also from the freshness and unpredictability of newness, of something out of the norm.

And as the electronic doors slid open, a wide smile graced his face as he immediately recognised his friend, standing by the reception desk patiently in a crisp brown suit. "Hey, Daisuke," Hayato greeted breezily.

The aging teacher laughed as he gave the man a strong hug, feeling the years suddenly drop off his shoulders. "Hayato, you old rebel! I can't believe it! You've finally accomplished your dream, huh?"

"_Our _dream, Daisuke," Hayato said with a smile. The man had hardly changed, that boyish enthusiasm still present on his face, the only sign of his aging being some small cobwebs under his eyes. "Come on, let me show you what we've been doing..." Hayato suddenly looked down, seeing Shinji, who was looking at the tall man with trepidation and nervousness. "Well hey there, kid!" He bent his knees, sinking to the boy's level as he held his hand out. "Don't worry, I don't bite – I'm Hayato, who are you?"

Shinji looked up at his sensei in nervousness, stepping behind him unconsciously, who gave him an encouraging nod as the boy took the man's hand, shaking it. "S-Shinji. Shinji Ikari," he greeted shakily. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ikari, eh? That's a pretty strong name. Welcome to the IRS Bureau, Shinji Ikari." Hayato said with a smile as he stood up, turning to his old friend. "Let me give you guys the guided tour."

"So you finally completed your degree?" Daisuke asked as they stepped into the elevator and Hayato punched a floor.

"Yeah. Biomechanics, with honours, as well as a master's in physics." Hayato gave him a cheeky grin. "I know what you're thinking. Just say it."

"Well... I'm impressed," Daisuke admitted. "Ten years ago you were jobless and penniless, and now look at you!"

"I've been pretty lucky. Especially since IRS Bureau shares our ideals for a new future," Hayato answered as the elevator gave a ding and the doors hissed open. "Well, here it is. Your official welcome to the International Research and Science Bureau." He announced to the astonishment of Daisuke, and the shock of Shinji. "Privately funded and owned, of course."

The level was an elaborate hallway of benches, laboratories and workstations, as scientists went about their businesses, working on experiments and wondrous inventions, separated only by thin glass walls, bar the few contained rooms with thick plexi-glass windows.

Hayato's grin stretched wider. "Here it is. Your first look at the future."

However, as they stepped into the laboratories, Shinji remained frozen in the elevator, his face pale with fear as subconscious emotions surfaced, a result of long suppressed memories sparked by the familiar sterility of the laboratories.

"_What is this child doing here?"_

"_He's Commander Ikari's son..."_

"_Don't worry, Professor, I brought him... I want to show my son the bright future..."_

"_No... NO! YUI!" _

"Shinji? Is everything alright?" Daisuke frowned, turning around in surprise at the sudden change in the boy's behaviour.

Shinji looked up at his guardian with pleading eyes. "S-Sensei... please, could we get out?"

"There's nothing to worry about, Shinji," the teacher soothed. "It's just a place where people work, isn't that right, Hayato?"

The man in question shrugged. "If the kid's uncomfortable then let him go down and wait." He turned to one of the assistants, one who spoke Japanese. "Do you mind taking Shinji back to the lobby and maybe getting him something to eat? And stay with him as well?"

The lady smiled. "Of course, it'll be a pleasure," she said, as she crouched. "Hello there Shinji," she said kindly. "My name is Aiko. Are you hungry at all? I can take you to eat anything you want."

Shinji nodded quickly. "P-Please... I just want to get out of here," he shivered as Aiko stepped into the elevator with him and prepared to take the boy back to the lobby.

Hayato frowned. "What was that all about?"

Daisuke sighed. "Well... let's just say the boy has luggage."  
"He's not yours then?"

"No, I was asked to take care of him."

Hayato clenched his teeth. "Damn. That's pretty harsh. But let me give you the guided tour, at least."

* * *

-E-

* * *

Professor Ikanawa looked out the window, staring at the sleek London skyline. "You really know how to blow someone away, Hayato."

Everything here had been beyond the teacher's wildest imagination. Even for a layman like him, he could understand the importance of what they were undertaking here. In several years, this place would truly shift the currents of the world.

Hayato sipped his tea. "I hoped you would be impressed, buddy."  
"Well, I am." Ikanawa sighed in resignation as he turned to face him. "What's the real reason you showed me this, Hayato? The trip itself was enough – why show me your research?"

"Because I want you to be a part of it." Hayato closed his eyes. "You remember that summer, don't you? The one where we went hunting... though predictably, none of us got anything." He couldn't help but let out a snort of amusement, before sighing. "That last night in the forest... it was perfect. We had just finished our first year of college, but we weren't like the others. They desired comfort and security in life. We dared to dream – to change the world and make a better future. We were idealists, all of us, even as we grew older. Then Second Impact happened, and took it all away." The scientist paused. "But I refuse to believe that we're any different than we were. People need that dream even more. That's why I decided to go back to college and do another degree."

The professor stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"The higher-ups have given the all-clear for starting a branch in Japan, and I volunteered. I want you to be on my team, Daisuke. We need a strong visionary like you. I can handle all the technical stuff, but what we really need is someone who can see what people _need_. Someone who can look at the world from the outside." He stood up. "What do you say, old friend?"

The private boardroom was silent for a full minute, as Daisuke chewed his lip, contemplating what he wanted to say. "Hayato... I'm not the person I once was..."

"You are!" Hayato snapped. "You're just unwilling to see it!"

"No. I'm not your friend anymore, Hayato. Just an old, blind man..." the Professor lowered his head. "I cast everything away after Second Impact. Our friends perished, and I forced myself to forget, spoiling their memory. I don't think I can be that idealist, college freshman again. Not after what happened... to us. To me." He looked up, his eyes both firm and sad at once. "But there is hope."

"Hope?" Hayato asked quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Hayato..." Daisuke closed his eyes in weary resignation. "I can't take care of the child. He was forced upon me by an uncaring father, and I've already got enough issues with my life. I can't help Shinji with his."

"What are you suggesting, exactly?"

"I've seen the boy's eyes, day after day. He drifts through life without purpose, without meaning, content to simply exist. Even though we're barely a day in London, Shinji has been more happy than he has in his entire time with me. He needs a fresh start more than anything... God knows, so do I, but I can't be there for him in the way he needs me to be." Daisuke narrowed his gaze. "I don't think it's possible for me to change guardianship of Shinji, so here's what I'm proposing: you stay here instead of going to Japan, and I'll find a job here. In return, I want you to take Shinji under your wing."

"Take him under my wing? You mean like a teacher?"  
"Teacher, mentor, guide, whatever he needs. The most important thing is for him to have a true purpose, an identity again, and happiness in who he is."

"But he's just a kid... I can't..."

"I believe that he's smarter than he's letting on. All he needs is the right purpose in life. I don't need to be a psychologist to know that the kid's special, in more ways than one." Daisuke stated firmly. "With me... I could never teach him without imposing my own world views on him. He needs to be under the guide of a visionary. Someone with dreams. Maybe he'll learn to develop his own dreams too."

"Daisuke..." Hayato whispered.

"Show him your dream, Hayato. Pass on the torch to the next generation. The world is changing at such a rapid pace, we're going to need fresh minds to keep it up."

"He's just a child! What he needs is to be around others his own age! To go to a child therapist, or something! He's your responsibility!"  
"You don't think I've tried?" the professor snapped brutishly. "He needs something more drastic than this. I've seen the slump he's in. No child his age should have to shoulder the pain he's had to bear. You claim to dream of helping mankind – how can you accomplish that if you can't even help a child?"

"And what about you then?"

"I've told you already... I can't. A broken old man isn't what he needs. _Please_, Hayato – I'm begging you..."

Hayato rubbed his forehead, considering this proposition seriously even if it sounded absurd. The kid would have to be some sort of genius to even understand him, and he didn't have the teaching talent to make things simpler. How was he to pass on a dream to a boy who couldn't help understand him?

But more importantly... how could he do it, without seeing the hollow faces of his own wife and child?

And yet there was a determination in his old friend's face that he had not seen since they were both young men. _Do you really believe in this child that much, Daisuke? Look at how resolute you are. Maybe your intuition, your hope for the future, isn't as gone as you'd like to think._

"You're committed to this, aren't you?" Hayato finally sighed. "And I'm guessing I can't persuade you otherwise? ...Fine. I do it, but on the condition that you teach the boy as well. Without art, all ideals are useless, after all."

"But Hayato..."

"Even if you just guide him on the right path and let him make his own assumptions. I'm not asking you to go full professor-mode. Just some advice every now and then. And I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. I want to ask him first, but I think it'll be difficult... that kid's carrying a lot of baggage, right?" Hayato finished his cup, putting it on the table as he stepped towards the door, opening it with a swipe of his key card. "Well at least I know how to deal with baggage. It's like driving a car." He stepped outside, the door closing behind him. "You look at the road ahead and don't look back."

* * *

-E-

* * *

Shinji looked on as the elevator gave a ding, signalling they had arrived at one of the research labs, in nervousness. "M-Mr Hayato, I don't..."

"Just call me Hayato, Shinji." The man said kindly as he took the boy's hand and stepped into the laboratory, pulling him along gently. "And don't be afraid. I want to show you some cool stuff, that's all."

"B-But..."

Hayato sighed, kneeling down and putting his other hand on Shinji's shoulder. "Shinji, do you trust me?"

The child looked at him uncertainly, and nodded.

"I know you're afraid, Shinji. However, I promise that nothing inside here will hurt you or scare you. You will be safe with me."

Shinji swallowed. "P-Pinky promise?" He asked meekly.

Hayato grinned, raising his pinky. "Pinky promise." Slowly, Shinji raised his own pinky and the all-important pinky promise was sealed. "However... if you really don't want to go inside, you don't have to. I'm not going to make you. You're a smart little boy, and you can choose for yourself."  
The boy looked at him in surprise. "But didn't sensei say..."

"That's _specifically_ what he told me. I can take you back down if you want. However, the choice is up to you. We can't decide for you."

Shinji bit his lip thoughtfully, in a manner that any woman would find adorable, apparently thinking over what Hayato was saying.

The brain of a child is both wonderful and terrible. Though one would think it would be painfully fresh, in several years Shinji's memories of his mother would be nothing more than distant images, shoved to the back of his subconscious, perhaps his mind's way of sparing the boy further pain. Even now, the process of forgetting had begun, but the man's words had triggered stimuli, stirring the synapses in the child's mind as he couldn't help but recall something she said not long before that fateful day.

"_Mama! Mama!" _

"_How's my little boy doing? It looks like you've grown taller! You have, haven't you?"  
"Mama, I love you!"_

"_And I love you too, sweetie. One day you're going to be as smart as your daddy is, aren't you? One day you're going to be a leader... one day you're going to have to be strong for yourself, when I'm not here..."_

Unconsciously, Shinji's eyes lowered to the floor as he churned over Hayato's words, his mother's ghostly voice echoing in his ears. "Sensei said that when I'm in a new country, I should try things that I couldn't when I was home."

"That's right."

He looked up. "Then... I'll come with you, Mr. Hayato."

"I said it's just Hayato," the man said with a proud smile as he guided him through the laboratory. "Anyway, as you can see, this is a lab where people research things."

"What sort of things?" Shinji couldn't help his curiosity which was gradually taking over his initial fear as he pressed his face up against the window of a sealed chamber, where a strange-looking plant was being bathed in neon blue light.

Hayato puckered his lips, wondering how he could explain things to a child without it being too complicated. In the end he decided to be as straightforward and as clear and honest as possible. "Things that will help people. That plant there is a special breed of rice plant. Normal rice plants usually take roughly a year to grow – hopefully, this one will grow in half the time, meaning twice as many people will have food to eat." Hayato explained patiently.

Shinji scrunched up his face in slight confusion, processing this before nodding. "Is this what you work on, Hayato?" he asked innocently.

"That room is handled by another department, by people who work on it day and night," the scientist answered. "Do you want to see what I do?"

Shinji nodded happily, as the older man led the boy through the laboratory and into another large room with a long hallway, where a patient was currently sitting down on a stretcher - a scientist in a white lab coat was taking notes to his side. "Alright, could you try moving your hand to the left?" the scientist asked professionally.

The pair looked on as the patient, whose arm was wrapped by a mass of electrodes and wires, moved his hand – and subsequently a mechanical limb, hooked up to a computer, also moved, mimicking the man's actions, albeit a little stiffly.

"Wow..." Shinji breathed, looking at this strange sight with amazement and fascination.

"This is what I do."

Shinji looked at him excitedly. "You really make stuff like this?"

"Yep." Hayato said with a hint of pride. "All of this is to help others, and if that arm works, it could really change the lives of thousands in a positive way."

The boy was now literally bursting with curiosity and child-like wonder as Hayato showed him the rest of the laboratory, seeing things that were so strange, so amazing and so wonderful it was like he was in the greatest toy store ever built. It was nothing like the cold, industrial laboratory he had once visited as a child – no, everything was sleek, glistening, and shiny new. The atmosphere was enthusiastic and fresh as people went to and fro on their daily rounds with joy, knowing they were one step closer to solving the cure for some fatal disease, making an invention that could change the lives of millions, or finding a way to help those starving in the world.

Shinji had regained some of his vibrancy, something he lost when his father abandoned him. A permanent smile was fixated on his face as he saw new things, one after the other, things that would help people. Hayato made sure to point out anything extraordinary in particular, and the hours simply floated by as they went from workstation to workstation, Shinji listening attentively as he absorbed everything like a sponge.

Soon, the tour was over. Hayato led him to one of the private boardrooms where Daisuke was waiting.

"Sensei!" Shinji said excitedly as the middle-aged professor stood up to greet them. "Did you see everything here? This place is so awesome!"

Daisuke smiled. "So you really enjoyed it?"

"YES!" The child declared gleefully.

The professor's smile only got wider. Now he knew for certain that this was the right call. "That's good. Because we're staying."

Shinji gasped. He looked at the professor with astonishment on his face. "You really mean it sensei?"

"Yes. Well, I need to go get our things in Japan but you can stay here if you'd like and I'll return quickly."

"Sensei!" Shinji grabbed him in a hug, completely surprising the older man with this affectionate gesture as he patted the boy awkwardly in response. "I promise to be good!"

"I already know you'll be good, Shinji. However, I need you to promise something else."

The boy stepped back, looking at him resolutely. "What is it, sensei? I won't let you down!"

"It's not a promise to me, however."

It was Hayato that stepped down beside him, looking the boy in the eye. "Shinji... would you like to learn how to be a scientist, and do the things in this lab? Like me?"

Shinji could not look more happy. "Y-Yes! I would!"

"You have to promise me you'll work hard, though." Hayato warned. "It's not easy. But the rewards are worth it."

"I promise I'll work hard!"

Hayato grinned, holding out his pinky, which the boy reciprocated in excitement.

Little did they know however, the impact this action would have on the future.

* * *

-E-

* * *

A/N: Well, this is interesting.

Part of this came from the inspiration of seeing the fascination child Shinji had in episode 21 with NERV. The majority of it came however from external sources, which I want to bring in heavily. Iron Man, Batman, Warhammer 40K, Deus Ex, Blade Runner... I want to really play up the technology and science aspects of this as well as the ethics and morality of such technology.

The Shinji so far has not developed the apathy he expresses as a teenager. He is traumatised, but the trauma is still fresh and has not set, and can still be healed. I created the character of Professor Daisuke Ikanawa, as I wanted to have a reason for his apathy in the series – a distant guardian not necessarily thinking of Shinji as a burden, wanting to help him, but unable to due to his own hurts and regrets following Second Impact.

I won't lie. Shinji will be intellectually brilliant in this. He will be a visionary. A dreamer in which he uses science to help others. But he is not infallible. His ideology will eventually clash with the ideologies of "fallen" scientists like Ritsuko, Gendo and Fuyutsuki.

He will be a person that causes ripples and changes around him. There will be no unwarranted character bashing. Everyone is gray, after all.

I don't see it as a stretch that Shinji could be a scientist of unparalleled talent. He is the son of two brilliant intellectuals, after all. Hopefully this will be interesting, and hopefully you all will enjoy it and review.


End file.
